Friday, July 1, 2016

Steady by Danica Avet. Book 1 of the Band Nerds Series

Steady

Band Nerd Series Book 1

by Danica Avet

Genre: Contemporary Romance

This is gonna be one of my bigger posts simply because I am just so excited to share this new series with you. I also have some pretty cool extras to share (such as a playlist and an interview with the author) in addition to my review.***I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion***

Everyone may call me “Steady” but recently my life has been all chaos. I went from Shaun Decker, NFL star, to being forced to retire and finding out my wife’s having an affair. Coaching for the Sauvage Spartans' football program will be perfect for getting my life back on track. Then a delicious woman named Katie literally falls into my lap and then, after the best sex of my life, disappears.

I’m Katherine Frost, band nerd turned band director and, oh, apparently a magnet for married men. Discovering I’m the other woman already had me rethinking my life, then my one-night stand turns out to be married too. Gah! I want nothing to do with men ever again. Especially tall, handsome, bearded men named Shaun. I thought taking up a teaching position at Sauvage State was a strategic exit, stage left, but it’s looking more like going from the frying pan into the fire.

Hey, Shaun again. Don't let her kid you. Fate puts people in the right place at the right time because they're meant for each other. Football and marching bands go together, just like me and Katie. I just need to convince her of that.

The Playlist:

Commodores “Brick House”

The Black Keys “Howlin’ For You”

John Legend “All of Me”

Patti Smith “Because the Night”

Fleetwood Mac “Tusk”

Fats Domino “Whole Lotta Loving”

Coldplay “Yellow”

Aretha Franklin “Chain of Fools”

Alicia Keys “No One”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Can’t Hold Us”

Flo Rida “Wild Ones”

The Black Keys “Gold on the Ceiling”

James Brown “Sex Machine”

Van Halen “Hot for Teacher”

John Lennon “Grow Old with Me”

Scandal “Goodbye to You”

Faith No More “Last Cup of Sorrow”

Nothing More “Here’s to the Heartache”

Added songs:

Gerry Rafferty "Right Down the Line"

Gordon Lightfoot "If You Could Read My Mind"

Last Night "Stressed Out"

My Thoughts on the Book:

The story opens with Kate Frost living in Chicago and wildly in love with her boyfriend of 3 years, Adam. He is a successful business owner who has spent quite a bit of time away on meetings with clients. It has been working well for them because Kate is always busy as a music teacher at a very prestigious school. She is so happy with her life until a shopping trip the next town over leaves her reeling. Adam has been married their whole relationship and his has a son with another baby on the way. Pretty shitty right? Not only does she literally run in Adam and his happy family but it is also witnessed by the one staff member she hates more than anything at her school. Did I mention she works a very conservative, religious school? Yep and they fired her while she was down and out.Then you get to read Shaun Decker's back story. Super hot ex-NFL player who was forced into retirement by a leg injury. He was living the kind of life most guys wanted...hot career, tons of money, and a gorgeous wife. But wait for it....he is in the middle of a meeting with his agent trying to figure out his next move when a friend texts him a picture of his wife all over the newest guy on his team. The new guy also happens to be his direct replacement. Now he is forced to find something else to do with himself.Both Shaun and Katie end up teaching at Sauvage State and when they meet the fireworks go off! I loved the refreshing down to earth tone the writer uses in this story. The characters are totally relatebable, funny, and charming. The storyline was so good. I think this is one of my favorite stories I have read so far this year! I am too excited for the rest of this series to come out. FYI...the chemistry is off the charts between these two. I am not going to give away the story but trust me it is a worthwhile read!

Meet the author:

Danica Avet was born and raised in the wilds of South Louisiana where mosquitoes are big enough to carry off small children and there are only two seasons: hot and hotter. With a BA in History, she figured there were enough fry cooks in the world and decided to try her hand at writing.

Writing is how she gives the voices in her head a way out. They speak to her constantly wanting their stories told and she does her best to accommodate them.When she isn’t writing, working, or contemplating the complexities of the universe, she spends time gathering inspiration from her insane family, reads far more than any sane person would want to, and watches hot burly men chase an oblong ball all over a field.

Interview Session:

What inspired you to write this book?

To be honest, I have to give big props to my niece for this book. Last October I took her to the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands, which is a competition for high school marching bands and her enthusiasm, the shows, and the general excitement of watching band perform reminded me of what it was like to be in band. I personally am a band nerd. I played well into college and going to that day-long show just brought it all back. Writing Steady was effortless once I got started.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m a big old book worm. I read a helluva lot. Like more than I should LOL. I wish I could say I do exciting things like skydiving or swimming with sharks, but I’m scared of heights and I’m not fond of the water. When I’m not doing that, I work in my yard, play cards/games with family, ogle sexy men on the internet (for research purposes!), and hang out with family and friends.

Who/what are you reading right now?

I’ve been reading a lot of mafia/bad guy romances lately, although I tore through Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series (which is hilarious because I’ve tried to knit… I ends up looking more like a bondage piece than anything else). Lots of dark stuff while I wait for my favorite authors’ books to come out. Tillie Cole has a book I’m dying to get my little hands on, Kresley Cole has two Arcana books coming out that I’m squealing with delight to read, and there are tons more.

If you could be any book character, Who would you be and why?

Any book character…Yikes! That’s a hard question considering how many books I’ve read. *think* Man, this is tough! Okay, I got it! Dagmar from What A Dragon Should Know because she’s snarky, smart, and she tames Gwenvael with those traits. It’s quite possibly one of my favorite books by G.A. Aiken because Dagmar is so cool and calculating and Gwenvael is anything but. Love it.

Who is your favorite perfomer/band of all time?

Oh this one’s easy! Tool. I’ve been a rabid fan since I was in high school, have every single album, and have seen them in concert three… Four times? And every single time it’s better than the last. Their songs are so meaningful and deep, that you catch something different about it every time you listen.

NetGalley Rating

Net Galley

About Me

Well, let's see... I am a Mom. This is the most important thing in my world. I love to laugh and spend time with my family and friends. Traveling is something I wish I could do it more often. I am a foodie. I could watch cooking shows all day long!!! I'm still new to this whole blogging world but it is inspiring. I am always available for movie or book reviews or even guest posts if anyone is interested.